Meteorologist From Lyons Very Concerned About Flood Risk

LYONS, Colo. (CBS4) – Rising temperatures will speed up the runoff and raise the flood risk in Colorado, and one meteorologist says there’s reason to be concerned.

From his backyard in Lyons Meteorologist Greg Berman keeps a close eye on the Saint Vrain River.

“If I were to look at it now, how could I tell that the river is rising?” Berman said. “You see that pipe there? Just this morning the water was a little below.”

With temperatures expected to reach into the 80s across much of the Front Range this weekend, Berman expects river and creek levels will rise as well.

“We still have a lot of snow that needs to come down from the high country,” Berman said.” My concern is that all of this is coming at a bad time.”

Berman says it’s a bad time because nobody is quite sure how the rivers affected by last September’s flood will react. On top of that Berman is worried about a potential rainstorm that could hit Colorado next week.

“If that red area shifts, well, we’re in big trouble if this pans out.”

A few months ago Berman created the Flood Watch Network on Facebook so he could keep his community informed about potentially dangerous weather conditions. He says he’s not ready to send out a warning yet, but if the storm he’s watching comes close to the Rockies Berman wants to get the word out quick.